4,000 Ideas: Chapter 2 of Four Thousand Weeks

Trying to be efficient while avoiding overwhelm

What would it be like to be an artist in Richard Scarry’s Busytown?

Zipping to the studio in an apple car, waving hello to neighbors, ordering paints from the pickle trolley. I could stroll to the ice-cream truck or visit the library when I needed a break. It’s probably safe to assume the economy in Busytown is bustling, so there will be plenty of patrons who are eager to buy my art. There might be a little traffic, but the light is good and silly weirdos are welcome.

It feels good to be an artist in Busytown, because as Oliver Burkeman points out in Four Thousand Weeks, the animals of Busytown are busy but not overwhelmed. In the real world, almost everyone I know is overwhelmed in some way or another. Creatives are so undervalued that we are even more susceptible to the pressure to be efficient, thinking if we can squeeze creativity into the cracks of the day, then maybe no one will object, although I can tell you from experience even that will not satisfy the efficiency monster that follows us. Creatives tend to be overwhelmed by the pressure that comes with having too many ideas and not enough confidence or time. When we try to take action, we often race from project to project, ruining the experience of being creative or diminishing our work. In the real world, where rushing, convenience, and efficiency are highly valued, slowing down, making things by hand, and enjoying the creative process are subversive acts of resistance.

So how do we make time for creativity without getting overwhelmed?

Last time in 4,000 Ideas we talked about the different kinds of time that Oliver Burkeman describes in Chapter One, including deep time and eigenzeit. Chapter Two is about the way striving to be efficient with our time only makes us feel overwhelmed and dissatisfied. We tell ourselves we need to find a way to get more done, and then we end up making ourselves even busier, often filling our precious time with tasks we don’t care about. And many, like those of us who are mothers (!), find that “the more efficient you get, the more you become ‘a limitless reservoir for other people’s expectations.’” ARRRGGGH!

If you’ve ever thought some version of “Once I get everything done” or “If I can just clear the decks,” then I can paint, draw, write, or simply rest…this post is for you!

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If you’re enjoying this post but wondering what 4,000 Ideas is all about, check out the first post in the series. (TLDR: It’s an Oliver Burkeman book club for creative folks like you and me.) Then upgrade to paid so you can continue reading this post and join the discussion below. The comments are juicy and the people are friendly!